


Part of the Family

by JustAndrea



Category: Batman - All Media Types, The LEGO Batman Movie (2017)
Genre: Father Figures, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, slight spoilers for the Lego Batman movie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-22
Updated: 2017-02-22
Packaged: 2018-09-26 07:03:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9872723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustAndrea/pseuds/JustAndrea
Summary: It was a butler’s job to help the people they serve. Keep the house clean, schedule things, cook food, offer advice - Alfred did all that and more! …And perhaps Batman had started taking that for granted…





	

**Author's Note:**

> As much as I love the father/son relationship between Batman and Dick, I really wanted to give some love to Alfred and his relationship with the two of them. So, enjoy! ^v^

“…So, Grandpa?” “Yes, Master Dick?” “What made you want to become a butler?”

“Hmm…” Alfred gave a hum as he continued collecting the laundry from the dryer. “Well, multiple reasons, I supposed. Mostly, it just seemed like a simple and noble enough profession to go into.” He gave a small smile. “And, I supposed it helped that I liked the family I worked for…”

“Ah. Alright!” Dick nodded. The boy then reached into the dryer as well, pulling out the last couple items and putting in the basket. Alfred nodded back at him in appreciation, his smile growing a bit. The curiosity of a child was sort of amusing, in a way. Sometimes they asked dozens of questions, one after another, and other times they were satisfied with the simplest of answers.

Together, the two of them headed up the grand staircase of Wayne Manor and to Batman’s rarely used master bedroom. Most of the time, the Dark Knight ended up just sleeping in his chair in the Batcave or on one of the many couches in the manor. Still, even if it ended up being a bit of a waste, Alfred always made sure that the room was kept tidy and ready to be used (as well as insisting that his master sleep in his actual bed at least once a week). 

As he glanced around at the room and noted which areas would need a quick dusting, Alfred placed the basket of clothes on the bed and began folding. Dick happily started folding as well, not bothered by the chore at all. After living with the boy for a couple months, Alfred knew he wouldn’t take “It’s alright, you don’t have to help, I can handle this chore on my own” for an answer. Besides, even if it wasn’t needed, he didn’t mind the help too much, and he certainly didn’t mind the pleasant company that the boy provided.

However, after a minute or so, Alfred heard a familiar sound from downstairs. “Mm, sounds like someone’s calling…” Probably another telemarketer, or perhaps someone from Wayne Enterprises with an issue. Still, it was his job to answer every call, telemarketer or not, that was what he was going to do. 

As he was leaving the room though, he heard Dick tell him, “I’ll finish this up for you while you’re gone!”

“Oh, Master Dick, that’s certainly appreciated but you don’t have to,” Alfred replied, glancing back at him, “I’m sure this call won’t take too long, and-”

“It’s fine, Grandpa!” Dick insisted as he grabbed another shirt, sticking his tongue out slightly as he held it up to his chest and carefully folded it. “I’ve got this!”

“…Well, alright then,” Alfred conceded, giving the young master another grateful smile before rushing back downstairs. 

Of course, Dick grinned back at him, and picked up his pace a bit as he continued folding various shirts, jackets, ties and capes. “Oh hey, here’s my extra cape!” he exclaimed, holding up the sparkly garment, “Guess it was still in the hamper!”

Unable to help himself, he hugged it close to his chest. Still warm and toasty from the dryer. Once it finally cooled down though, Dick tied it around his neck (not really caring if it didn’t quite match his day clothes) and continued working through the basket, lightly humming a pop song as he did so. 

“…Wait, since when do you like disco, Al-?” Pausing his little song, Dick turned around and spotted his father in the doorway. He was in his dark-red bathrobe, holding his usual mug of four-in-the-afternoon coffee, and looking almost as surprised as his son did. “Oh, it’s you - and frankly, you humming disco makes a lot more sense.”

“Oh! Hey Padre!” Dick waved.

Still half asleep, Batman grunted back at him and walked into the room, still looking a bit curious. “So… what are you doing? I thought you only helped Alfred with the dishes.” He paused, taking a long sip of his coffee. “Ahhh~” He paused, glancing around. “And, where is Alfred anyway?”

“Oh, he had to go answer the phone, so I’m just finishing the laundry up for him!” Dick replied as he folded up another shirt, “I like helping Grandpa out with any of his chores though, not just dishes and laundry. I mean, just because he’s a butler doesn’t mean he has to do ALL the chores!”

Batman gave him a bit of a flat look. “Uhh, I’m pretty sure that’s literally the definition of a butler.”

“Ah, right.” Dick giggled slightly. “Well then, just because he’s a butler doesn’t mean he has to do all the chores _on his own_ , right?”

“Hmph, I guess…” Glancing down at the bed, Batman looked at the neat piles of folded clothes. For being a kid, he wasn’t too bad at folding… After a couple moments, he grabbed what he could hold in one arm and started to put them away. Not like doing that was too much trouble for the hero.

Standing on his tip-toes, Dick grabbed the last of the clothes and pulled them out of the basket. “And hey, even if it is sorta his job, it’s still nice of Grandpa Alfred to do all this stuff for us!”

“…” As he hung up a couple of his dress shirts, Batman couldn’t help but smile just a little at the thought of his butler. The things he’d done for him over the years - things that went beyond just completing chores and driving him around. 

Giving him advice, trying to cheer him up when he was too deep into his brooding, or even just plain frustrated with a case. Alfred had even gone as far as to help him when he first decided to become Batman - and as awesome as Batman was, he knew deep down that despite this awesomeness, not every butler out there would have been as ‘approving’ towards his new career choice as Alfred had been. And sure, sometimes the guy was sort of a nag, but even so- “Yeah… It is nice. Alfred’s pretty great.”

“Heh, yeah! And-” The boy stopped, his eyes widening as an idea quickly started to form in his mind. “GASP! We should do something for him, to thank him for helping and taking care of us!”

From the walk-in closet, Batman glanced back at his son with a raised eyebrow. “Huh? What, like, give him a bonus or something?”

“No! Er, well, yeah I guess we could do that too but, I was thinking that we could make him a card!” Dick replied as he started to jump a bit in excitement, “And cake too! If anyone deserves cake, it’s DEFINITELY him! Oh, but, what flavor does he like?”

“Oh, uh-” Batman paused. That was a good question… He of course knew his own favorite flavor, but Alfred’s? No idea. “Well, probably something super fancy. And English. Or British, I’m honestly not a hundred percent sure. So… tea flavored maybe?”

“I bet it’s vanilla!” Dick suggested, “Grandpa kinda seems like someone who likes vanilla! Though, a lot of people like chocolate too… Oh! Maybe we can get marble cake, and we could make some tea to go with it!” Grabbing the rest of the clothes on the bed, he practically leapt to the closet. “And a card, and maybe a present too! Just something that says ‘Thanks!’ and shows him that we know how lucky we are to have him as part of our family!” 

Part of the family… Batman stiffened, his heart sinking a bit. 

 _Part of the family… Lucky to have him…_ Actually, Batman could remember a moment from several weeks ago where it had looked like they _wouldn’t_ have him around anymore. Where he had been too late to stop him from falling, and when it almost looked like he couldn’t be saved… 

And, not too long before that-  _“You don’t have a family… What do you know about having a surrogate son?“_

Batman looked down at the floor, his frown deepening. “…Dad?” Flinching slightly, he glanced up and saw Dick’s concerned look staring back at him. “Are, are you alright?”

“Uh, yeah. I’m fine,” Batman insisted. He moved out of the way, allowing Dick to put away the rest of the clothes. “I’m fine,” he repeated.

“Alright…” Dick replied, still not completely convinced but not really wanting to argue. So, he just hung up the rest of the clothes before grabbing the basket so he could put it back in the laundry room. But, as he moved to do so, he noticed that his father was still there. “Huh?”

“…Well, come on,” Batman told him simply. Despite still looking a bit shaken up, there was a smile on his face. Small and almost barely noticeable, but still there. “We have a thank you to plan, don’t we?” he asked as he started to slowly walk out of the bedroom.

Dick gave another small gasp as he grinned, quickly placing the basket on the floor and next to the bed before running to the door. “Right behind you, Padre!”

()()()()()()()()()()

Needless to say, Alfred was pretty surprised when he went into the kitchen to start making supper, and instead found his two masters waiting for him with a simple marble spongecake (bought from Gotham’s best bakery), a pot of earl grey tea, and a card that Dick had clearly drawn. 

“Oh my… What’s all this for?” Alfred couldn’t help but ask, even as his shocked expression turned into a smile.

“We just wanted to give you a big thank you!” the boy answered as he hugged his grandfather-figure. 

“Oh?” Patting Dick’s head, Alfred glanced up at Batman - who just gave him a small nod, as if answering a question he hadn’t even asked. “Well, I certainly appreciate it. Thank you very much.”

Deciding they could just have a late supper to make up for it, the small family then moved into the parlor to enjoy their tea and dessert. And, since the whole affair was for him, Alfred wasn’t allowed to do any work. Instead, Dick cut and served the cake while Batman poured the tea. 

Of course, Dick made sure there was plenty of conversation as well, not wanting to let this quality family time to just slip by in silence. However, Alfred quickly noticed that he and Dick were the only ones talking, while Batman - despite still listening and occasionally nodding - still stayed uncharacteristically silent… 

Eventually though, once Dick had finished practically cartwheeling around the manor and passed out on the couch for a post-sugar rush nap, the conversation did start to wane a bit. Still, it was a comfortable silence. 

Letting out a content sigh, Alfred stood up. Batman glanced over at him, a bit surprised at the sudden action. “I suppose I should probably take care of these dishes,” he said quietly as he started gathering up the plates and cups.

“Oh, uh, you don’t have to,” Batman told him, “I mean-”

“It’s fine, I’ve got it.” Glancing over at him, Alfred gave a small smile, “I don’t mind.”

“Well, if you say so…” Once again, the Dark Knight didn’t say anything more, and Alfred continued cleaning up the small coffee table. However, before he could leave- “Hey… Alfred?”

The butler stopped immediately. “Yes, Master Bruce?”

“Do you- Ugh. I mean… I-” He scowled, hating that he both didn’t know what to say and at the same time _did_ know but just couldn’t say it.

Becoming a bit more concerned, Alfred took a couple steps back. “Is everything alright, Sir?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” Batman insisted, still scowling. But despite the insistence, Alfred didn’t walk away. …And Batman knew he wouldn’t walk away. Always so loyal… Always there for him. 

“Alfred…” The hero started to say again, “I… Why do you stay? I mean…” He sunk down further into the couch, not even looking at his butler now, “Do you ever feel like leaving?”

Alfred’s eyes widened. “Master Bruce…”

“I, I know I’m MAYBE not always the easiest to work for. And… And I’ve said things I’ve sorta regret, and… Gosh, I don’t know, Alfred! I’m just…" He cringed a bit, but managed to force the word out. “I’m _sorry_. A-And I-”

Again, Batman paused - though it wasn’t because he couldn’t find the words, but instead because Alfred, having decided that he had heard enough, sat back down next to him. “It’s alright, Bruce,” he told him with a gentle smile, “Really, it is.”

Batman’s eyes widened a bit as he looked back up at the older gentleman. “…But-”

“No buts, Sir,” Alfred told him. Unsurprisingly, Batman snickered slightly, but quickly pulled it back. “For what it’s worth… I knew I could never replace them. Nor did I want to. After all, I miss them too.”

Batman looked back down, just for a moment. “Yeah…” he said simply, and Alfred didn’t push him to say anymore than that. 

“However,” Alfred continued, “I also cared about you. So much to the point that, even if you never saw me as a father figure, I would see you as a son - and that was just fine with me. …And I still care about you, Bruce. Always have, always will. No matter what.”

“…Y-Yeah.” Glancing up once more, Batman managed to give him a small smile. “Yeah, I know… I know.” After a moment, his smile faltered slightly as he hesitantly leaned forward. It was a bit awkward and unsure, but even with all that, he still managed to give Alfred a genuine hug. 

Of course, Alfred returned the hug, patting him gently on the back as he did so. …Just like when Bruce was a child.

Soon enough, the hug ended and Alfred went off to wash dishes and start cooking while Batman decided to go watch a little tv while Dick continued to nap. “I just, you know, need a break from all this… relationship stuff. Not that it isn’t great but, yeah, probably gonna go watch a few action movie montages. Get the ol’ blood and rage pumping again, you know?”

Alfred, knowing fully well that he would probably just watch another one of his favorite rom-coms again, just smiled and nodded. “Of course, Master Bruce. I’ll call you when supper’s ready,” he told him as he headed into the kitchen. 

He gently dropped the dishes into the sink, grabbed the soap and sponge, got the water going - but didn’t start washing. At least, not right away. Instead, while his hands were still dry, he reached into his jacket and pulled out the card that he’d put in there for safe keeping.

Even if it was a bit messy, Alfred still couldn’t help but smile and chuckle a bit at the drawings of him, Batman and Dick - all smiling and standing together. Opening it up, he saw more little doodles on the inside of the card along with various kind words.

Of course, completely sticking out from all the colored pencil marks was a simple phrase written fairly elegantly in pitch-black ink:  _ **Thanks …For everything. Love, Bruce.**_  Unsurprisingly, Dick’s signature was right next to it, along with a heart and a smiley face.

“Heh… My family,” Carefully, he folded the card back up and returned it to the safety of his jacket before finally starting on the dishes.

Yes, his family… It was a bit broken, and admittedly _very_ strange considering all of their alter egos, but still his. And, even if Alfred never really doubted it, it was still nice to know that he would always be welcomed in it. 

**THE END**


End file.
